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Charitable Gift Annuities

A Charitable Gift Annuity is a simple contract between you and the Southern Poverty Law Center that allows you to donate cash or securities and receive fixed annual payments for life. You will also be eligible for a federal income tax deduction in the year you make your gift if you itemize your returns.

The minimum donation to establish a Charitable Gift Annuity with the SPLC is $5,000. The amount of your annual payments is based on your date of birth and the amount you give to create the gift annuity.

You must be age 60 or older to establish an annuity with the SPLC if payments are to begin right away. If you're 55 or older, you can benefit through a Deferred Charitable Gift Annuity by postponing your payments for a year or more, perhaps until your planned retirement age.

You can also create a Joint Charitable Gift Annuity with the SPLC naming yourself and someone else as annuitants. A joint annuity will guarantee payments throughout both lifetimes. The rates are slightly lower for two people. The tax benefits for joint annuitants who are married differ somewhat from joint annuitants who are not a married couple.

If you are concerned about the instability of the stock market or paying high capital gain taxes, consider funding a charitable gift annuity with appreciated securities. You will avoid some capital gain at the time you make your gift (for the charitable portion of the “split-interest” gift) and the rest of the capital gain will be spread out over your life expectancy. This benefit also differs slightly if the annuity is joint but not for a married couple.

We’ll need your date of birth (or two dates of birth for a joint annuity). Please include the gift amount you're considering in the comment field for online requests.

We'll send you calculation sheets illustrating the annual payments you'll receive and your tax deductions. (If the gift is securities, please include the cost basis and length of ownership.) If you would like an immediate online computation, use our complimentary gift calculator to determine your benefits.

It is important to understand that gift annuities, although regulated by some states, are backed only by the full faith and credit of the organization issuing them. They are not insured or guaranteed by an insurance company or the government.

Gift annuities, however, are an obligation taken seriously by the Southern Poverty Law Center. They are backed by all of our assets, including our full endowment and our segregated gift annuity reserve fund. That fund is invested in accordance with the laws of all states that regulate charitable gift annuities. We strictly adhere to all of the American Council on Gift Annuities best practices and recommended standards.

We do recommend that you consult with your attorney or tax advisor for the various tax benefits and restrictions that may apply to your specific situation. We are available to you and your advisors to answer questions or help arrange a planned gift to the SPLC. The Southern Poverty Law Center's future programs depend(s) on the partnerships we form today.